On our 1st trip to Bonaire we stayed in the new Jr. Suites at Capt. Don's. The resort has lovely gardens, a fun happy hour, ok food and nice resort staff. The rooms are comfortable with large, covered porches for lounging oceanfront. There is a small fridge and sink but no coffee maker. Access to tanks and lockers is very convenient.
For our 2nd and now, 3rd trip we chose Sand Dollar. We found them through
Kralendijk Vacation Rental - VRBO 70012 - 1 BR Bonaire Condo, Lovely Oceanfront 1 BR Condo at Sand Dollar Resort and rented directly from the owner (Hi Larry!). Of all the condo buildings the one with some rentals is within steps of the 2 aforementioned dive shops and property office. General Mgr Charles Vos along with his office manager, Mercedes are extremely nice and will help with anything you need. Communication with the owner is always prompt and the financial exchange was a breeze. He will help you with whatever you need including dive recommendations. There IS a pool, restaurant and tennis courts. There is 24 hr security. If you arrive after hours the security guard will have your keys and info packet and will direct you to your unit.
We have come to appreciate the volume of marine life and quality of the reef at Sand Dollar's Bari Reef. 395 different species have been identified there. We also use BDA because we like the ease of entry/exit on the steps of the dock. The dock is in relatively shallow water and the snorkeling there is astounding. Since we couldn't dive before our fly day last October I spent nearly 2 hours snorkeling around the dock and the rocks leading up to the steps.
The condo itself is wonderful and even nicer than the pictures. It is very clean with plenty of storage and has everything we need. The bed is perfectly comfortable, a/c cools down quickly and the kitchen is fully stocked with everything we needed to prepare food. We enjoy staying in a 'home' with all of the amenities rather than 'making do' in a hotel room. We enjoy the feeling of self-sufficiency it gives us. And the WIFI worked perfectly.
This time we rented from Poppy at Telerin. Unlike AB, Telerin will have a vehicle waiting for you at the airport no matter what time you arrive and you turn it back in at the airport. Easy peasy.
If you use AB and arrive after office hours make sure you don't start your rental contract until the day you take possession of the vehicle which will be the next morning. We learned this the hard way even though AB had our flight arrival time. They never told us we would be charged for our arrival day but we would not get our vehicle until the next day.
We are only a few weeks away from our 3rd trip and just thinking about it gives me an 'Aaaaahhhh' moment!
K